SPOKANE, Wash—In 2023, More than 35,000 building permits were approved in Spokane. Tami Palmquist, the city’s Director of Development Services, said the city has approved more building permits in the last three years than ever before.
Palmquist said permit applications have increased “across the board.”
In the first three months of 2023, the department saw a 30% increase in permits for single-family homes and a close to 23 % increase in permits for multi-family home projects. The economic impact is seismic. In March of 2024, the job values were over $140,000.
Palmquist said this is in part due to “Building Opportunities for Housing” or B.O.H which, “opened the door to open a lot of other types of developments.’
The purpose of B.O.H. is to increase housing choice and diversity in the city by supporting middle housing development.
According to the City of Spokane’s website, B.O.H allows:
Design standards for single-unit detached homes and Middle Housing developments.No parking required for residential uses within ½ mile of a transit stop.No lot density maximums for lots less than 2 acres in size.Reduced lot size minimums.Expanded Unit Lot Subdivision process to allow for greater site flexibility.Implementation of footprint and impervious surface maximums.Increased building height and reduced front and rear setbacks for some zones.
